Blind Faith Read Online Free PDF

that your reputation as a fantastic kisser began with kiss-and-tell-Mel?”
    “Laugh it up,” Will attempted to sound hurt, “but that nightmare had me so uptight it took almost two years before I could kiss a girl without checking to make sure no teachers were lurking around first.”
    Serena had to bite her lip to keep from laughing again.   “I’m sorry.   I’m sure it was very…traumatic.”
    “I still carry the scars,” he replied in such a serious tone it set Serena off again.  
    “Enough already!   My ribs are so sore now , it hurts to breath.”
    “I’m done anyway.   There’s just so much a man’s pride can take, you know.   And now, Miss Cross, it’s your turn.”
    Serena’s mood instantly sobered.   “I’m afraid my nightmares don’t have quite the entertainment value yours do.”
    “Nevertheless, we had a deal.”
    “I know.   I’m just not sure I can explain.   There aren’t any images…only darkness and voices and…mingled scents.”
    “This is probably a stupid question, but does being blind effect seeing images in your dreams?”
    “No, I can still see things, just not in this particular nightmare.   I don’t consciously remember…that night, but I think maybe this nightmare is a memory.”  
    Serena wavered, the decision to tell him or not ping-ponging back and forth in her mind for several minutes.   Maybe it was because Will didn’t try to rush her, or because he was so easy to talk to, but the timing felt right.   Being here with him now felt right; just two friends opening up to each other, sharing secrets, sharing a part of themselves no one else knew.   With a determined lift of her chin, Serena plunged in.
    “It’s cold and dark, but I’m glad it’s dark because I don’t want to see them and I don’t…” she closed her eyes, squeezing the tears back, “I don’t want them to see me .”
    Will leaned forward and gave her hand a quick, reassuring squeeze.   “Take your time, Serena.”
    She opened her eyes and managed a thin smile.   “You were always so nice to me.   It’s good to know some things never change.”
    “And you were always such a sweet girl.   I’m glad to see that hasn’t changed either.”
    “Sweet,” she repeated with a bitter laugh.   “No, I haven’t been that sweet girl since I was fifteen years old when that pack of jackals took everything inside me that was sweet and innocent and crushed it.   I spent three weeks in the hospital recuperating from the physical injuries and being subjected to medical and mental treatment because the doctors couldn’t figure out what was causing my blindness.   While I was lying there, struggling to survive and wondering if I even wanted to, the boys who did that to me went on with their lives as if nothing happened.”
    Will didn’t say anything, but if she had been able to see his face, Serena would have known just how shaken he was by what she’d told him.   That familiar ache he always felt when he thought of what she went through that night was mingled with rage and guilt and an infuriating sense of helplessness.   He didn’t think about what he was doing or how she would react; he simply responded by wrapping his arm Serena’s waist and pulling her back so that she was sitting alongside him.   Tucked in the protective curve of his arm with her head resting on his shoulder, she let out a soft sigh before continuing in a subdued tone.
    “I can hear them laughing and making jokes while they try to…hold me down.   Their words are slurred because they’ve been drinking and the smell of beer is so overpowering I start to gag.   I’m crying and trying to scream but something is covering my mouth, a hand maybe, and all I can think of is how mad McKinley is going to be when she finds out the dress I borrowed is ruined. ”
    Serena closed her eyes.   It felt nice to be curled up next to Will, to feel so safe and warm.   If only she could hold on to it, draw strength from